Johann van Graan’s Bath fought back from 21 points down to beat the Northampton Saints in a thrilling Investec Champions Cup quarter-final on Friday night.
The hosts won 43-41 at The Rec and will face defending champions Bordeaux Bègles or six-time winners Toulouse in semi-finals.
Hit by an early Northampton whirlwind, Bath trailed 14-0 after six minutes and 28-7 after 21 minutes.
But the English Premiership champions held their nerve to close the gap to nine points at half-time.
ALSO: Glasgow, Toulon look to SA captains
The home team, with South African props Francois van Wyk and Thomas du Toit to the fore, then cranked up the pressure in the second half.
Du Toit came on for Beno Obano in the 28th minute, while Du Toit replaced Billy Sela in the 47th. A third South African in lock Quinn Roux started but was among those substituted shortly after half-time.
Northampton No 8 Henry Pollock was shown a yellow card with 10 minutes remaining and Ted Hill took advantage, crashing over three minutes from time to level the scores.
Finn Russell then stepped up to kick the conversion that won the game.
Incredible game!
Watch the instant #InvestecChampionsCup highlights on YouTube
https://t.co/d6Rp5WTnOO pic.twitter.com/7zJekpv0xe
— Investec Champions Cup (@ChampionsCup) April 10, 2026
“Pretty mental game to play in,” said Alfie Barbeary who produced a Man of the Match performance after coming on as a first-half replacement for the injured Sam Underhill.
“Class to get the result. I know my job in the team I’ve got great players around me who make me look good.
“We didn’t look at the scoreline. We knew if we stuck to our process we’d put in a performance.”
ALSO: Sadie starts in French grudge match
The top two teams in the English Premiership put on a remarkable show of attacking rugby with 11 tries in total after visitors Northampton grabbed the game by the scruff at the start.
Bath No 8 Miles Reid was sent to the sin bin after just two minutes and from the ensuing penalty England back rower Pollock barged through for the opener.
Two minutes later Fraser Dingwall added a second. With Fin Smith converting both, Saints were 14-0 up after six minutes.
Bath hooker Tom Dunn pulled one back but wing Tom Lockett and Josh Kemeny both touched down for Northampton to stretch the lead to 28-7.
ALSO: Rob Jnr recalled for ‘biggest challenge in club rugby’
Again, Bath bounced back through Russell’s nifty footwork, but a try from Ollie Sleightholme, playing his 100th game for the Saints and still celebrating his wedding earlier in the week, made it 35-14.
The Rec faithful began to get behind their team who responded with two tries late in the half from Henry Arundell and Van Wyk.
After nine tries in the first half Saints led 35-26.
Last week, Bath gave Saracens a 10-point lead at the break before clawing it back in the second period but Saints scored the first points after the break, Smith putting over an early penalty to open up a 12-point gap.
PLAY: Investec Champions Cup game centre
Bath turned up the pressure, which lead to a yellow card for Saints gigantic South African lock JJ van der Mescht. Replacement hooker Kepu Tuipulotu then dived through for Bath’s fifth try.
South African scrumhalf Bernard van der Linde replaced Bath captain Ben Spencer with six minutes to go as the game headed towards a climatic end.
After Smith and Russell traded penalties, there were just five points in it going into the final 10 minutes, setting the stage for the grandstand finish.
BATH – Tries: Tom Dunn, Finn Russell, Henry Arundell, Francois van Wyk, Kepu Tuipulotu, Ted Hill. Converions: Russell (5). Penalty: Russell.
NORTHAMPTON SAINTS – Tries: Henry Pollock, Fraser Dingwall, Tom Lockett, Josh Kemeny, Ollie Sleightholme. Conversions: Fin Smith (5). Penalties: Smith (2).
– AFP
Photo: Ben Brady/INPHO
The post Bath stun Saints with breathtaking comeback appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
